


Arrested

by abetternameneeded



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: KnightRook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25088059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abetternameneeded/pseuds/abetternameneeded
Summary: Wish!Hook has to explain to a 5 year old Alice what the word "arrested" means.
Kudos: 2





	Arrested

Kilian Jones was cooking as his five year old daughter sat on the counter next to their stove reading a book. She was tying, at least. She'd lerned how to read for the most part and had quickly become even more of an inqusitive sponge than ever before, which Killian hadn't known was possible.

She'd gotten to the tail end of her storybook and squinted at a word she'd never seen or heard before.

"Papa, what's this word?" Killian had his hands full and couldn't leave a hot stove unattended to look at the book but he was all Alice had so he never ignored her.

"I'm not sure, Starfish I can't quite see it. Can you sound it out?"

"A-rest-ed? Maybe. What's it mean, Papa?"

Killian nearly dropped the spoon he was using into the pot. This was going to be hard to explain delicatley. But she had the right to know. She couldn't go to school. She couldn't even go outside. He wouldn't withold knowledge from her. He would never dare deny her answers that would tell her about the world she couldn't be a part of.

"Arrested, Starfish," Killian told her how to pronounce the word. He was stalling. He didn't want to explain this one. He worried it would implant something in Alice's head that would destroy her. She was so happy, or as close to it as she could be. He didn't want to ruin it. He stalled for another moment. He had to answer her question.

Alice glanced at him with her blue eyes mimicking his but hers had this sense of wonder constantly rolling through them. Alice nodded. She had learned a new word! Almost! Papa just had to say what it meant. "What's it mean?" she repeated her question her desire to know everything she could even more constant than the tower walls.

Killian wasn't a man that was weak minded when it came to words but somehow this one of his daughter's questions had completley thrown him.

"It means to take someone that's done something wrong prisoner," Killain sighed. That didn't feel right. He saw his daughters facial expression change from curiosity to the look she got whenever she touched the barrier and it refused to let her out. It was a mix of sadness and almost hope draining out of her.

"But what's a prisoner?" Killian had be careful to never call Alice a prisoner out loud. She was trapped and it wasn't fair but he'd made her prison a home. Or he'd tried to. The easiest answer would have been to tell her she was. But that would be cruel. And he wasn't a cruel parent.

"A person that's done something really bad and really wrong that is then locked away so they can't hurt anyone." Killian worried he'd hurt Alice's feelings but she seemed okay.

"Okay."

"Was the book good?"

Alice nodded. "Aye."

"Right there, dinner's ready."

Killian was carrying the pot and heard Alice jump off the counter.

"Alice, I wish you'd let me help you down."

"I can do it," Alice ran to the table and Killian joined her with their food in tow.

Alice pushed the soup around in her bowl. Had she done something wrong? She couldn't remember if she'd ever been outside of the tower. It had always been her home. And papa was good. He said he made mistakes but he was good. And he could leave anyway. So he wasn't prisoner, was he? So it had to have been something she'd done. She couldn't remember. She'd touched matches once. But she'd already been in the tower when that happened. What had she done wrong?

Killian watched as Alice prodded at her food only taking the occasional bite. She ate slower than normal but finished her food and put the bowl away.

"I want to go to bed," Alice sounded sad. Killian decided to give her her space for a moment. But he couldn't really give her much. The only semblance of a door in their tower was the window that led to the outside. He could see her clearly from every part of the tower and her he. He let her have a moment until he heard her crying. He hated seeing her sad. She had a lot of those days where she couldn't shake the feeling that the walls were closing in on her. Couldn't shake the feeling that she'd never be free. He did his best to comfort her and usually his best was enough. Some days it wasn't. Those days were the hardest. The days where all he could do was sit next to his daughter as she cried herself to sleep knowing that he'd failed her.

Killian walked over to Alice'd bed. It didn't take that many steps. Killian had already scene Alice curled up on her bed and heard every time her sobs became audible. She hadn't been crying long before Killian had decided to check on her.

"Starfish, what's wrong?" Killian knew it had to have something to do with their conversation. He hadn't meant to upset her. It'd been five years and he still hadn't gotten good at being a parent. But he cared about her and he tried as hard as he could and that mattered. He tried to keep her happy in spite of their situation that was in no way fair. He felt guilty and he tried his best to make up for it. And he hadn't stopped looking for a way to free her. He'd find a way ne day but for now all that mattered was Alice.

Alice sat up and slumped back against her pillows. "Papa, am I bad?"

Killian felt the words like a knife to his chest. They rung in his head. papa am I bad. Alice thought something was wrong with her. Even though he thought she was perfect.

"No. You're not bad," he swore to her. "No."

"But, did I do something bad? I don't always eat my vegetables. And I jump on the furniture a lot or really off it and, papa I'm a prisoner aren't I? So I am bad." Alice was upset and now her words and thoughts were racing.

"No," Killian was near tears himself and hugged her. "You're not bad."

"But I'm trapped here," Alice's voice sounded so dejected, her head still burried in his chest with the occasional sniffle coming out onto his shirt as he rubbed her back trying his best to make her feel better, if only a little.

"I know. It's not fair. You didn't do anything to deserve this." Killian hated that witch even more than he ever had before. She'd already hurt Alice enough by trapping her. But he'd never imagained he'd have to explain that Alice hadn't done anything to deserve it to her. She was a great kid. "I know."

Killian comforted her. He knew he couldn't possibly know exactly how she felt. He could leave, he didn't do so often but he could. And he'd seen the world. All she knew were the walls of the tower and everything inside it. She could barely see the sun outside the window most days.

"I'm not bad?" Alice questioned.

"No, you're not."

Alice's sobs steadily dispersed and she'd exhausted herself. "I'm tired, papa."

"Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story or sing you a lullabye?" Killian offered. He always gave her a choice knowing that she didn't get to experience much in the way of freedom outside of her choices. And she was the one that was being lulled the sleep, not him. Although he'd admit he'd fallen asleep mid-lullabye a few times.

"Sing grandma's lullabye, papa?"

"Aye, c'mon lay down so I can tuck you in."

She laid down and he tucked her into the bed fairly loosely, she was understandably a bit claustrophobic. He sang until she drifted off to sleep. "Night, Starfish. I love you."

He went and looked through more books hoping to find an answer to the key to Alice's freedom for a while befre retiring to his hammock.

A/N: tumblr user wicked-storybrooke came up with the "am i bad?"

**Author's Note:**

> The "am I bad" line came from tumblr user wicked-storybrooke.


End file.
